Green is Sexy

By: Nancy Jeffries

Posted: October 14, 2008, from the May 2006 issue of GCI Magazine.

Color cosmetics today are an expression of science, fashion, innovation and ecology. One-dimensional color has given rise to prismatic color, sheer has taken turns with saturated, and matte has met luminosity. There’s moisturizing color, UV benefit, light-reflecting properties, and organic, plant-based ingredients. It is quite a colorful array.

Green is Sexy

“Finally, green is sexy,” claims Eco Natural Makeup by NVEY, an Australian line that operates under a green philosophy. The company has positioned its makeup line as prestige organic makeup, and its 54 SKUs feature organic and OFC-certified ecologically sound cosmetics. “Natural botanical extracts and powerful antioxidants make for a pure, gentle and effective makeup solution,” said Jane Dirr, president and CEO. Rohan Widdison, the company’s founder noted, “The market for organic personal care products was worth US$4.3 billion, with an estimated 50% increase by 2010 to US$6.6 billion. Much like free trade coffee, ethically chic, organic personal care resonates the emerging trend in socially responsible retailing.”

“We employed an array of synergistically aligned ingredients that act as both skin beneficial and essential structural components for the basic formulas, like soy bean extracted glycerol monostearate and organic sweet almond oil to act as emollients,” said Widdison.

The company, which uses certified organic raw materials with earth-derived colorants, blends single batches of color to offer a colorant tone range from pale beige to medium tones for light to medium coverage. This ensures that the colorants are sustained in the products without separation. Its moisturizing fluid foundation utilizes cucumber extract for moisture binding, thyme extract to assist in firming skin’s collagen and calendula oil for antiseptic properties.

Pigment Technology

From earthy and organic to high-tech science, color cosmetics offer benefits that are defined across a variety of perspectives. A new technology with color-changing effects is adding depth to the color cosmetic spectrum. Engelhard Reflecks MultiDimensions pigments can appear to be one color, but move across the color spectrum to provide multiple color effects on the skin or in shampoos and lotions. Using advances in borosilicate pigment technology, these multidimensional pigments make color-shifting effects possible in cosmetics. As an example, the effect of one Reflecks MultiDimensions pigment can appear red, but by changing the angle just 30 degrees, the effect turns to violet then blue or shifts from violet to blue to teal.